November 8, 2009: A Whole New Meaning to the Words....

....Garden Bed

The second garden has been constructed and filled with compost. It measures 4' wide by 2' deep, so I made the seed mats from 2' sections of toilet tissue and placed them on the bed to see how many it would take to fill the bed. I ended up with mats of (left to right) Cherry Belle radishes, Imperator carrots, two strips of Chantenay carrots, Cherry Belle radishes, two strips of Detroit Supreme beets, Champion radishes, 2 rows of Tyee spinach, Bloomsdale Long Standing spinach and Champion radishes. Hopefully they will be a perfict fit when I plant them tomorrow.

My next project will be to make some protective covers for the potted tomatoes. The temperature is supposed to get pretty cold on Saturday the 14th, so I need to be ready for it.

Stefaneener, rain? What is this rain of which you speaketh? Isn't it sad that I live in two practically rain free homes. When it does rain, it cloudbursts.

********Kalena Michele, the method of gluing all small seeds to strips of toilet tissue or paper napkins. I'm loving it! See my blog http://tinyurl.com/ygepn5g

********EG, it can get terribly hot out on the south end of the mobile home, I almost burned up my veggies in that location last year. Tomatoes should love it come Dec/Jan!

********KitsapFG, I think the tissue company needs to give me a cut of its profits ;-) I wish I remembered what brand this is, as it's holding up well for gluing. Some brands have too much glue seepage.

What an awesome idea! The shops are selling mats already made but they are so expensive, I've been using chicken wire to space my radishes but if I overwater they all wash together! Will deffinately try this. Totally unrelated but the quilt on the bed is gorgeous, did you make this? Lauren

Lauren, some of us have come to the conclusion this works well because it keeps the small seeds from falling into holes, it (the paper product) works as a mulch to conserve moisture, and the spacing is perfect. I've also tried it with newspaper, but it didn't work as well as the cheap napkins or toilet tissue.

No, that is a purchased quilt. I'm thinking from Shopko or K-Mart. I've had it for 4-5 years, it's been a really sturdy one. I do have a lovely entirely hand stitched quilt my grandmother made many, many years ago. Take a peek at it here...